Northshire Abbey Library and Scriptorium
The Library The Abbey Library houses a large proportion of the Church's historical collections of texts, scrolls and manuscripts. Since the reconstruction of the Abbey, the library has added recovery and restoration to its mandate which has the preservation of the Church's rich history at its core. The Library also holds copies of the majority of the Church's educational texts, both historical and current. It is the principal seminary library for the Kingdom of Stormwind. Acess to the Northshire Abbey Library is restricted in order to protect and preserve its invaluable collections. The Library is open to scholars with appropriate credentials. These may include: *Teachers and researchers at institutions or societies of higher learning *Members of the Clergy involved in teaching as well as research or study activities related to the Church *Students who are pursuing research in the areas of theology, philosophy, Church history or the Light based healing arts *Novices, lay priests and aspirants studying in the seminary programs In order to gain access, visiting scholars who are not members of the clergy must submit a written request well in advance of the visit, stating the purpose of the research. They must also provide a reference letter or a document verifying their academic qualifications. Upon their arrival at the Abbey, they will be requested to produce a valid identification document that will be kept by the authorities of the Abbey during the researcher's stay. The document will be returned to the researcher at the time of his departure. ''Alonsus Faol Reading Room The Alonsus Faol Reading Room was added in a renovation project at the Abbey by repurposing unused space in the Library wing. It provides clerics and visiting researchers with a serene and comfortable study area. It was outfitted with beautiful mahogany bookcases and furniture and houses the reference collection as well as the texts used in the current seminary curriculum. It also contains parts of the historical collections the library makes available to visiting scholars. Generous donations from numerous noble families allowed for the recent installation of state of the art lighting using the latest Gnomish technology and the inclusion of exquisite architectural details in the finest woods and stones. The Scriptorium ''"He who does not know how to write imagines it to be no labour, but although these fingers only hold the pen, the whole body grows weary." (1) The Northshire Abbey Scriptorium, located on the lower level of the Library wing in Northshire Abbey, is the central hub in the restoration of important Church texts lost after the destruction of the Abbey during the First War. A group of brilliant scribes and scholars led by Brother Paxton, are working tirelessly to transcribe and preserve the Church’s invaluable historical collection. The scribes are also developing catalogues that provide detailed bibliographic descriptions of the transcribed texts along with restoration notes. These catalogues are printed in multiple copies and distributed to libraries upon request. The Northshire scriptorium works in close collaboration with other scriptoria across the Eastern Kingdoms to restore the heritage of the Church and make it once again accessible to the Faithful. The Scriptorium room, with its numerous writing desks and quiet atmosphere, is often used as a seminar space for teaching the novices. It also serves as a study room after hours. References 1. Montalembert, The Monks of the West from St. Benedict to St. Bernard, vol. 6, (Edinburgh, 1861-1879) p.194. (From Wikipedia entry for Scriptorium) Category:Places Category:Church of the Holy Light Category:Library of the Holy Church Category:Libraries Category:Northshire Locations